What if The Mentalists
by Katy M VT
Summary: What if it took place Season 1, immediately after Bloody Mary.  And the ghost was going after real psychics.  One-shot.


What if it took place Season 1, just after Bloody Mary?

"Sam, now that this whole thing is over, I want you to tell me that secret," Dean says. Something's been bothering Sam. It would probably help if he knew what it was.

"Look, Dean. You're my brother and I would die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself," Sam replied. He had a dream foretelling Jessica's death, but he wasn't psychic. He knew he wasn't. And if he was…well, he knew how his brother and father felt about psychics. They didn't hate them, necessarily, or think they were evil. They just didn't think they were right. He didn't want Dean looking at him like he was a freak. Besides, he wasn't psychic. He wasn't.

Dean gave him an odd look. What on earth could be so bad that Sam wouldn't tell him? He was the one who always wanted to talk. Have the chick flick moments. Now, when Dean was giving him the perfect opportunity, he was declining? That didn't seem right.

Sam turned away and looked out the window. Jessica was standing by a pole. He turned and watched her until he couldn't see her anymore. That wasn't a ghost. It was a figment of his imagination. From his guilt. He was pretty sure.

SSS

Next Morning

Dean was glad that last hunt was over. It had been emotionally draining for Sam. He looked over. Sam was actually sleeping. Didn't even look like he was having a nightmare. OK, if the last few days helped him put everything in perspective, Dean guessed it wasn't that bad.

Still, he started looking through the papers for a new job. It would be good to keep Sam busy. He found a weird story about two psychics being killed in Lily Dale, New York. Apparently it was a town known for its psychics. Dean rolled his eyes. Psychics were either fakes, or dangerous. But, still, you couldn't let people die. That was rule number one.

Sam woke up.

"Hey, I think I found us our next gig. Unless you want to take some time off," Dean added. Just because he thought Sam needed to work, didn't mean that was true. He and Sam had been separated for a while. They were just starting to get back on track.

"No, what do you got?" Sam asked.

"Two psychics were killed. One with her crystal ball, the other one was stabbed in the throat with her planchette during a séance. According to witnesses, it just flew up from the Ouija board by itself."

"That's definitely weird," Sam admitted. "And weird means it's probably our kind of thing."

"Let's go, then."

SSS

"Where are we?" Sam asked as Dean pulled up to a house and got out of the car.

"The latest victim's granddaughter. Her name is Melanie. Hopefully, she may know something."

A brunette woman in her twenties opened the door. "May I help you?"

"FBI," Dean said as he and Sam flashed their badges. "We have a few questions about your grandmother."

"Come on in," she said. She led them into the living room and closed up an open suitcase. "Sorry, I just got back."

"You were out of town?" Dean asked. He wasn't sure if that was important or not, but they had a couple of seconds to fill as they got settled anyway.

"Yeah. I do the circuit."

"You're a psychic?" Dean asked. "You don't seem like a psychic." She seemed nice. Not creepy or evil or anything.

"I'm off duty…and not psychic," she admitted.

Sam raised his eyebrows.

"It's honest work," she defended herself.

Sam and Dean said nothing. Like they could comment on someone else's version of honesty.

"So, about your grandmother," Dean began.

"Yes?" Melanie asked.

"Any reason anybody might want to hurt her?"

Melanie sighed. "My grandmother, and Imelda, the woman who died last week, were two of the few real psychics in town. Most of us are fakes. But there are five or six of the real deal. Some of the others get jealous."

"Anyone in particular?" Sam asked.

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. Dean asked her for the names of the others that were considered real psychics.

"Thank you," Dean said. "We'll be in touch." He hoped that were actually true. She was kind of cute.

As they were walking back to the car, Sam asked, "Do you suppose maybe they just both ended up calling vengeful spirits by accident last week? Melanie said they were the real deal."

"I don't know. It's possible. We should talk to the other real psychics. Do you think she's right? About them being the real deal?"

Sam shrugged. This was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. He still couldn't explain that dream about Jessica. It hadn't happened before or since, but he was still worried. He decided to test the waters. "Maybe. Doesn't mean they should die. Psychics are just people with an extra sense."

"I guess. But they're a little creepy. Don't you ever wonder how they come by that extra sense?" Dean asked.

"Maybe it's natural," Sam suggested.

"Yeah, but what if it's not? It could signify something nasty. Psychics give me the jeebs," Dean said and shuddered.

"Well, whatever. We don't know when whatever is going on is going to strike again so we should split that list up."

"OK," Dean said.

SSS

"Are you Nikolai, the spoonbender?" Dean asked

"Yes, I am."

"I've heard a theory that the two psychics who recently were killed were real psychics and that you are, too. Is that true?" Dean asked.

"It is. Most people around here are total fakes. It really makes me mad that they mock our work like that," Nikolai said bitterly.

If they were looking for someone who was killing fake psychics, Dean thought they would have the perfect suspect here.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped in the room.

"Something's coming," both Nikolai and Dean said. Nikolai, because he could sense its presence, and Dean because he knew the signs.

The ghost appeared before them. "You're special," she hissed.

"I know her," Nikolai shouted. "Her name is Kate McGillicuddy. She was a psychic in the 1900's." That was all he had time for before the ghost started strangling him. He felt her cold hands as they squeezed the life out of him.

Dean cursed the fact that he hadn't brought a salt gun in with him. He ran to the kitchen and found some salt. He ran back and flung the entire contents of the canister at her. She disappeared.

Nikolai fell to the floor gasping. "What happened?" he asked.

"She'll be back," Dean predicted, looking for a fireplace poker or something.

As if to prove Dean right, Kate popped back up and started strangling Nikolai once again. Dean found some iron and started towards her. Kate held out her hand and flung Dean to the wall. "You're not one of them," she said in the same hissy voice. Dean noticed an odd bracelet type of thing on her wrist with a symbol he had seen somewhere before.

Kate went ahead and quickly broke Nikolai's neck. It was faster that way. Dean had just managed to stand up again and rushed towards the pair of psychics, both dead in their own way, but Kate just disappeared, her work done.

"Crap," Dean said.

SSS

"So, she didn't try to hurt you?" Sam asked as they were digging her grave that night. It was convenient that Nikolai had been able to

"No. She told him he was special and said I wasn't one of them," Dean confirmed.

"Well, that makes sense if she's just killing psychics," Sam said.

They reached the coffin and Dean opened it.

"It's empty," Sam said, surprised.

In all their years of digging up graves for a salt and burn that had never happened before. "What does this mean?" Dean asked.

"Maybe someone has bound her," Sam suggested.

Just then, Kate popped up. "You're special," she hissed and flung Sam to the ground.

No, no, no. Sam was worried about being killed of course, but for some odd reason at this moment, he was more concerned about the fact that the ghost seemed to be confirming the fact that he was psychic. The dream about Jessica hadn't been a one time deal.

"Wrong, bitch," Dean said and fired a round of salt into her.

"Come on, Sam. Let's get out of here." They ran to the car before the ghost could get back. After Constance Welch had hijacked his baby, Dean had etched a ghost warding symbol on each of the doors. It was defacing his baby, but it was for her own protection. Ghosts could no longer get in her.

"We need to find out who bound her," Sam stated the obvious.

"Did you see that bracelet she was wearing?" Dean asked.

"Not really," Sam admitted.

"Well, it had this symbol on it that I remember seeing on a store sign on our way into town."

"Good as place to start as any," Sam agreed.

When they got to the store it was closed. However, there was a sign stating, "Readings at Jimmy Tomorrow's next door."

"Let's try over there," Dean said. They had to hurry. Once out of the car, they were vulnerable. Which reminded Dean. "If she was a psychic and can pick up other psychic's energy, why would she think you're one?"

Sam just looked away.

"Sam?" Dean asked. "You're not psychic, are you?"

"I don't know," Sam said honestly. "Can we maybe talk about this later?"

"Yeah, right." First things, first.

They sneaked in the door with their guns drawn. It was a small place and after looking in the two rooms it appeared empty. They put their guns away and Dean approached an altar with a skull on it. "I'm assuming this is hers," Dean said, picking it up. Then he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

"Put that down."

Dean turned around to find a nerdy looking guy holding a gun to Sam's back. Sam had his hands up. Sam never resisted when it was human. Dean had never considered anyone to hold a gun on a member of his family human, but that was Sam for you.

"Jimmy Tomorrow, I presume," Dean said.

"Yes, now put the skull down," Jimmy repeated.

"OK," Dean nodded and put the skull back on the altar. Wouldn't do much good without the rest of the bones anyway. Well, maybe if he destroyed the altar and broke the spell, but first he needed to get Sam away from the guy with the gun. "Why are you killing real psychics?"

"Because they think they're so much better than us so-called fake ones. If it weren't for them, I could make more money."

"Ever think of going into another line of work?" Dean suggested.

Sam gave him a look. Why was Dean always antagonizing people when they were pointing guns at him? He would never understand that unless Dean secretly wanted him dead. He was pretty sure that wasn't the case though.

"Why use Kate to do your dirty work?" Sam asked.

"Because she was a real psychic. Ironic, don't you think?"

"I guess."

Kate appeared again. She didn't want to do all this killing. She had no choice. She wished she could kill Jimmy. But he had bound her to kill real psychics and only real psychics. He was as fake as they came.

"You're special," she hissed again to Sam. It was the only thing she could to let those that she was killing not feel bad about it. She really did think they were special. It was a special gift. And those who had it, and used it wisely, could really help the world.

Dean was scared. Now there was a man with a gun to Sam's back and a ghost who was apparently bound to kill him. Dean swiftly spun around and knocked over the altar. It was his only hope. It worked. Kate lunged forward and knocked both Jimmy and Sam to the ground. However, instead of attacking Sam, she broke Jimmy's neck.

"Thanks," Sam said. It felt weird to thank a ghost, but when someone saved your life, it really was the polite thing to do.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you earlier," Kate said. She was happy she could go back to rest now. She started to fade out.

"Wait!" Dean yelled.

She fully materialized again.

"Why do you think Sam's psychic?"

"Because he is," Kate said, and then she disappeared.

"What does this mean?" Dean asked. "Do you have visions? Can you move things with your mind? Why haven't you told me?"

"I dreamt of Jessica's death for days before it happened. That's it. Nothing since. I thought maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe it was, and the ghost could just still sense it."

"Maybe," Dean said, doubtfully. He was looking at Sam, trying to figure out if he was different.

Sam saw the way Dean was looking at him and realized this was exactly what he was worried about. "I'm still me, Dean."

"I know," Dean said.

But Sam knew Dean was lying. Dean wasn't sure about him now. He remembered what Dean had said earlier. Maybe it wasn't natural. Maybe it was something nasty. He knew that Dean wasn't going to turn his back on him. But he also knew their relationship would never quite be the same.

The End.


End file.
